Hand-Carved Tribal Art

A very old wooden make-up box Circa: late 19th century Origin: DR Congo Very rich tribal aged patina and traces 9.5 x 15.5 cm, height 9 cm

Baoulé / Baule loom hedle pulley from the beginning of the 20th century Rich tribal patina and using traces Beautiful stylization of the face with custom base as shown in the photo...

A fantastically hand-crafted piece by the Kota (or Bakota) tribe who are located in the northeastern region of Gabon. This figure, which is a Mahongwe reliquary figure as exhibited with its truncated almond-shaped face, is made of wound copper, hammered brass and wood. Reliquary figures were used as guardians to protect the revered bones of venerated family ancestors and leaders and ward off unwanted spirits. These figures are meant to embody intense powers and were also commonly used in communal rites and ritual performances. This particular piece came from an American collector who traveled the African continent and collected African artifacts for over 50 years. This piece has a beautiful, organically aged patina acquired naturally over time and use. It is mounted on a custom wooden display stand. We believe it dates back to the early to mid-1900s but could be older. We are listing as 20th century because we did not have it appraised. This African Tribal Statue Osseyba or Reliquary Figure Kota (Bakota) Mohongwe Peoples decorative art would clearly stand out as part of a collection or by itself in any setting. Truly unique, eye-catching and engaging. Dimensions on stand: 25 3/4" High, 7" Wide, 5 1/2" Deep Kota Reliquary...

Ibedji Statuette – Yoruba Culture, Nigeria, circa 1930 (20th century) This pair of male Ibedji statuettes originates from the Yoruba tribe in West Africa, specifically Nigeria. Amon...

Impressively carved from a single block of wood, this monumental male spirit or ancestor figure originates from the Middle Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. The figure combines stron...

Pair of hand-carved hardwood stools attributed to the Oromo people of Ethiopia, 1970s. Each stool is sculpted from a single block of dense wood, with a broad concave seat supported b...

Yoruba people have one of the highest incidents of twin births in the world. As a result, twin children are regarded as extraordinary, divine beings protected by Sango, the deity of ...

Ashanti footstool, Ghana West-Africa Handcut and handcarved Fine condtion Period: probably post 1945

Lele or Kuba Anthropomorphic Palm Wine Vessel Democratic Republic of Congo, Mid-20th Century Wood, carved and incised H: 14.5 cm This striking anthropomorphic vessel originates from...

An exceptional Wooden plate from the Touareg ethnic group from the Sahara Desert,from around 1930, beautiful Acacia Wood,metal, bone, copper, refined decorated with typically orient...

Small used Senufo stylized bird faced weaving heddle pulley, Ivory Coast Africa I Deep patina and polish from traditional use, circular wear inside from weaving bobbin, now absent. 6...

Small used Senufo stylized bird beak face weaving heddle pulley, Ivory Coast Africa I Deep patina and polish from traditional use, circular wear inside from weaving bobbin, now absen...

A genuine carved wooden frame with a figure inside carved from 1 single piece, these kind of items called "Nzambi". Upper Kwango area DR Congo Tribal aged using patina Heigth 24 cm, ...

Fine portrait kpwan mask with tall braided hair design, dark to black patina, from the Baule People Ivory Coast Africa, ex Fearing. Well carved features, curved slit eyes, open mout...

Set of three vintage Zulu long carved wood pipes on custom metal stands, South Africa. Each on separate stand so can be arranged in multiple ways for great ...

Papua New Guinea standing figure from the Bioma peoples with raised designs, stylized classic face, and additional face in stomach. Mounted on custom metal and wood base. Traces of...

A rare and important Oceanic Papuan Asmat tribal carved ancestral sago bowl (also known as a platter, serving shield and tray) crafted in the likes of the...

A monumental, rare and important Oceanic Papuan Asmat People tribal carved war shield from the first half of the 20th century, collected from the coast of the headhunting tribe in Papua New Guinea, a Provincial Indonesian island in the mid 20th century. Among the Asmat, war shields are the most powerful symbolic element of a warrior's equipment, and have many layers of meaning. Traditionally, they were functional items used to protect warriors in battle by deflecting an enemy's spears and arrows. The carved and painted images on the surface of the shields were also intended to frighten the enemy and symbolize the power of the ancestors. Ancestral imagery appears on multiple forms of Asmat art...

Yao Shaman's Mask Guizhou Province, China Early 20th Century Wood,horse hair, printed paper, nails Size: 13 1/2" x 8" (34 x 20 cm) On a custom made metal stand. Covered inside and o...

Powerful portrait of a Makonde man with a traditional lip plug in his upper lip, high carved cheek bones in the form of a finely carved helmet mask, with attached hair on top from Ta...

Early to mid century danced light wood round mask from the Yela or M'bole people, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. Finely carved mask with carved raised eyes and diagonal scarif...

A vintage carved ten leg tribal "Elephant" wood stool with a finely decorated top. The carved central star has a square in the middle and is framed by three different carved bands. T...

An early 20 th century Yaka one-piece hand carved ‘Diviner’s’ slit drum depicting a head, that when struck is said to serve as the mouth of the oracle’s voice. Among the Yaka People ...

Oval dance mask from Nepal with powerful expression, open eyes and oval mouth with finely carved teeth, nicely carved ears. Heavy black encrusted patina inside and out from tradition...

"Porpianong" refers to a Senufo wooden sculpture of a hornbill bird from West Africa, symbolizing fertility, continuity, and the Poro men's society. The figures are also called "Seti...

Carved and painted wood with an openwork tiered bucket form back. The top tier with female figures, the bottom row with horsemen holding small-scale figures on top of the horses' heads. The shaped back with a dentated top border and two carved panels with birds. Panels with snakes frame...

Sculpture, Lobi Male Figure with one hand pointing upwards, Burkina Faso. Mid/late-1900s. Height excl. base 13 cm. Total height 15 cm. Patina, signs of age. Provenance: Dealer and...

Great Angular Cubist Dan Kran Mask with expressive open mouth with metal teeth, triangle eyes and projecting angular cheeks. From Ivory Coast, West Africa...

Baule antelope-human wood old weaving heddle loom pulley. From Ivory Coast, Africa It is in good condition with wear, polish and erosion from traditional use, appropriate for its ag...

A Rare and Extremely Fine South African Tsonga Prestige Staff by the ‘Baboon Master’ Depicting a Zulu elder wearing a head-ring Superb silky reddish brown patina Late 19th Century ...

An Unusual Polynesian Fighting Club of Tapered ‘Pole’ Form Decorated all over with a geometric design and ‘glyph’ type motifs Dark glossy patina, excellent colour, retaining the or...

Three Tutsi gourd storage vessels ( liquids wine ) in good original condition with beautifully aged old surface color. Mid 20th century. Burundi Africa. Measurements - gourd w/ wov...

Bamana old original pair Chi Wara headdress. Chi Wara (Antelope Headdress.) The dry savanna permits no more than a subsistence economy and the soil produces,...

Expressive early classic cubist Dan mask with refined expressive look, narrow open eyes and mouth and fine line scarification marks around outside of face. Created early 20th century by the Dan People...

Oval skull face dance mask from Nepal with powerful expression, open eyes and oval mouth with finely carved teeth. Representing the Buddhist Citipati, the skull faced protector. Hea...

Early to mid century danced light wood mask from the Kumu or Maniema region, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa with face divided into four opposing quadrants with orange and trace...

Set of two Moroccan brass Berber tribal sugar hammer. Moroccan Collectible Brass Berber Sugar Hammer,Brass Berber Tribal Sugar Hammer. Authentic old Tuare...

Early Danced Black Wood Mask From the Guro Peoples Ivory Coast Bird on top. Finely carved mask with carved open eyes, and pointed nose and slightly smiling mouth. It is in good co...

Africa, Bongo Peoples, stone female commemorative figure from Southern Sudan. A fine specimen in naturally weathered condition; hand carved from a porous orange-black stone, 20th century. Similar funerary stone sculptures in various sizes were likely crafted over many centuries. Original patina from appropriate age. A nice custom base included. Dimensions: 30 inches high and 9.5 inches wide and 8 inches deep mounted on a custom iron base. Provenance: Old Brussels, Belgium collection acquired in 1998. History: The Bongo are an ethnic group living in South Sudan, mostly in the Tonj District. They speak the Bongo language, one of the Bongo-Baka languages. Unlike the Dinka and other Nilotic groups, the Bongo are not a cattle herding people and do not use cows for bride price. Subsistence farming is the primary source of food, though money is obtained by working in forestry, building, selling honey, and other various means. For similar examples see Barakat Gallery...

Fine Large Aboriginal woomera carved in hard mulga wood with pleasing curved chip carved interior with gum handle and possum tooth barb Beautiful p...

A scarce antique African tribal carved Hemba helmet mask, the Suku peoples, possibly Kwese culture, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa, early 20th century, surmounted by four-legged animal, over round face, with mouth ajar and incised jagged teeth exposed, protruding almond shaped eyes, scattered remnants of pigment, full raffia fiber fringe, mounted on wood stand. A superb museum quality example, this remarkable tribal folk art sculpture is a wonderful way to add rustic warmth, rich historical depth, and fascinating cultural interest to any space! Dimensions: (approx) Overall: 26" High, 9" Wide, 10.25" Deep; Mask only: 15" Tall; 7 lbs total Provenance / Acquisition: Acquired from the highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, est.1983, Austin, Texas. Excellent Condition: Nicely aged distressed patina over the whole. Highly desirable wear consistent with age and indicative of use, including scattered losses, antique character marks and typical signs of aging throughout. Retaining scattered remnants of original pigment. Overall a superb museum quality example Primitive Arts Of Africa: Among the Suku of the southwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, masks plays crucial role in protecting boys during initiation, the vulnerable period between boyhood and manhood. The power contained in Hemba masks...

Early Ghost Like Kumu Mask With Kaolin Open Eyes Mouth Teeth, Congo, Africa It is in good condition with wear, polish and erosion from traditional use, appropriate for its age, use,...

Tribal carved cup with handle with incised and carved design. Possibly from the Abeam People in the Sepik Region of New Guinea, the cup has overall meandering incised design and a s...

Large wood antique American mortar and pestle. Early 19th c. Americana turned wood footed mortar and pestle. American, late 19th century wooden mortar and pestle...

A Dan finely carved wood prestige spoon or ladle, from the Dan people of Ivory Coast, West Africa. Spoons like this were used by the most prominent woma...

Baule Standing Female Figure with finely carved raised scarifications, hands on side of stomach with long figures. From Ivory Coast, Africa It is in good condition with wear, polis...

Vanuatu Fernwood Grade Ritual Figure, Ambrym Island. A sculpture carved from a solid section of the fibrous trunk of a tree fern composed of aerial roots surrounding a woody core, in...

Large dark reddish brown carved wood mask with underlying traces of red pigment, from New Guinea Sepik River Area. Strong downward looking expression, carved fringe edges. Signs of...

African Tribal Fine Large Somalian Gashan Shield Fine old hide shield with hammered etched geometric design on front and back A Historic collectable and great Interior design ele...

Amazing and scarce JUDAICA object, we have here one of the most touching jewish objects we had for a long time, this small silver dowry box was made in Algeria in the early 19th century, it is all covered with symbols of jewish faith and of couples, the sliding lid has 2 flanking birds with hamsa (protective hand) on each side and a flower vase in the middle. one side shows two flanking lions with a tree in the middle and the other side shows again two big and two small birds with a flower bowl in the middle, front side has a key hole and next to it there is the Hebrew inscription ס״ט״" which says Siman tov or in English "a good sign" it is taken from the wedding blessing, underneath the lock there is another inscription with the name ״עזיזה בת אברהם בן חמו״ which is the name of the bride, her father and her grandfathers name. the box is full marked a lot of times with the silversmith mark, every side of the box is marked. this box was probably ordered by the grooms family to hold the jewelry they are giving to the bride as dowry, this type of objects are rare and there are just a few of them on museum collections. DOWRY (Heb. נְדֻנְיָה), the property a wife brings to her husband at marriage; the Yiddish equivalent, nadn, is from the same root. The custom of nedunyah became clearly defined and institutionalized only in the talmudic period. In biblical times, mohar (מֹהַר), whereby the groom bought his wife from her father (Gen. 24:53; Ex. 22:15–16; Hos. 3:2), was the accepted practice. It was then customary that the groom give the bride gifts, and that she bring certain property to her husband's home upon marriage: slaves, cattle, real estate, etc. (cf. Gen. 24:59–61; 29; Judg. 1:14ff.; I Kings 9:16). Evidence of the custom of nedunyah is to be found in Tobit (7:14; 8:21) and in the Assuan papyri (Cowley, Aramaic, nos. 15, 18). Gradually, mohar was superseded by the ketubbah custom according to which the husband merely assumed the responsibility of compensation to his wife in case he divorced her: he had to pay her 200 zuzim if she had been a virgin at the time of marriage, and 100 zuzim if a widow or divorcée (see *Ketubbah). By talmudic times, the institution of nedunyah was prevalent; the father gave a dowry to the bride since the daughter was excluded from paternal inheritance. Fifty zuzim (equivalent to the worth of 180 grams of silver) was the minimum amount a father was obliged to give to his daughter (Ket. 6:5). Parents usually gave much more, according to their social standing. Community funds provided the dowry for an orphan or a very poor girl (ibid.; cf. Sh. Ar., YD 251:8). In case of her father's death, the brothers of a minor girl were obliged to give her the minimum dowry, and the court estimated how much her father would have given her above the minimum dowry. The sum was then taken out of the father's estate and given to the daughter upon majority (Ket. 6:6; 68a–69b). In the absence of such an estimate, each daughter was entitled to receive one-tenth of the value of her father's estate in money, or in valuables (Yad, Ishut, 20:4–7; Sh. Ar., EH 113:4). If the father was unable or unwilling to pay the promised dowry at the betrothal ceremony, the groom could refuse to marry his bride (Ket. 13:5; Ket. 108b–109a). Insistence on exact payment of the promised dowry, however, was frowned upon by later rabbinic authorities (Rema to Sh. Ar., EH 2:1). In certain communities it was customary for the groom's father to make a dowry contribution equal to that of the bride's father (Ket. 102b). The dowry, whether given in real estate, slaves, money, or chattel was recorded in the marriage contract (the ketubbah) and in some instances one-third or one-fifth of the actual value of the dowry was added to the sum mentioned in the ketubbah. Based upon a decree enacted by *Simeon b. Shetah (first century C.E.), the Talmud ruled that the husband and his entire property were liable for compensation as stipulated in the ketubbah, either in case he died (when she collected the sum specified in the ketubbah from the heirs) or in case he divorced his wife (Ket. 82b). For the status of the dowry and the husband's rights and obligations, see below. The rabbinic enactments (Takkanot Shum) by R. Jacob *Tam and by the rabbinic synod of the communities of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz (Germany) stipulated that if a woman died...

Antique, 19th century Asian Middle Eastern collector two person wooden camel saddle with ornate brass mountings and iron reinforcements. 19th Century Midd...

Tall hand-carved wooden oracle or divination tapper "Iroke Ifa" statue, showing a kneeling woman holding her breasts. Yoruba, Nigeria, circa 1930s. Yoruba belief specifies that each ...

Exceptionally beautiful museum quality wood carving of a male ancestral figure with perfectly aged original surface color patina. Ink stamped on underside West Indies and old paper l...

Beautiful, impressively sized and elaborately carved "Tree of Life" sculpture from Tanzania, Africa. These carvings are created from a single piece of wood and feature "Ujamma" or ...

A strongly carved mask, likely Baule Tribe, on custom iron display stand. With fine serene features, scarification on the forehead, delicately carved hair and surmounted by two forwa...

Yoruba people have one of the highest incidents of twin births in the world. As a result, twin children are regarded as extraordinary, divine beings protected by Sango, the deity of ...

Late 19th-early 20th century Tribal mask, West Nepal A large mask from West Nepal with a small grin and bared teeth surrounded with pink powder, faint traces of which can also be se...

A fine Ashanti maternity figure by the master carver Osei Bonsu. The mother figure is seated on a simple backless chair. An infant lays calmly in her la...

Carved wood dance mask from China with smiling expression, large square hat or headdress. Traces of many layers of paint, including red, blue, black and white pigments. Darkened pat...

Dark wood mask from the Bete peoples, with curving moustache, curling tusks by mouth, and curved horns on top. Open mouth with tongue and metal tacks, Ivory Coast, Africa. Good dark...